Ski pole with lock



Aug. 15, 1967 B. D. STRATTON SKI POLE WITH LOCK Filed March 15, 1965 5);??1/25' Z7. STEATTO/V A) FUR/V5) United States Patent 3,335,585 SKI POLE WITH LOCK Bruce D. Stratton, 423 Oaklawn, South Pasadena, Calif. 91030 Filed Mar. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 439,834 12 Claims. (CI. 7058) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A ski pole with a handle at one end and a combination lock in the handle, the pole, handle and lock having an aligned passage or hollow; a loop-forming cable normally extending loosely in said hollow, the same having an enlargement on its inner end adapted to engage a stop in the hollow of the pole when drawn outwardly, to limit such position of the cable; a keeper on the outer end of the cable and having reversible locking positions in the lock, one when the cable is in its normal inward position, and the other when the cable is drawn outwardly and the outer end bend to form a locking loop.

This invention relates to a ski pole with a lock that deters theft of the pole and other articles connected thereto.

An object of the present invention is to provide a ski pole in which the lock is of the combination type and is incorporated in the pole handle or grip, and available for easy access and manipulation without a key.

Another object of the invention is to provide a structure as above characterized, that includes a flexible member held captive in the pole and capable of forming a loop by which the pole and other articles strung on or engaged with the loop may be so connected to a fixed rack or other member in order that theft of the pole and said articles is rendered difficult.

A further object of the invention is to provide a structure as above, further characterized by the provision of a free end on the flexible member, said end extending axially through the lock with a keeper on said free end which has releasable locking engagement with the lock.

A still further object of the invention is to provide, in a lock as characterized, a flexible loop-forming member advantageously formed of either one or two lengths of cable, as desired.

This invention also has for'its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The above objects are realized in a ski pole with a lock structure that has a combination lock that is embodied in the grip of the pole and which has an axial passage through which a cable passes. One end of said cable extends into the hollow of the pole with the inner end thereof enlarged to be held captive by the lock. The opposite end of the cable carries a keeper. In one embodiment of the present invention, when the cable is within the ski pole, the keeper extends longitudinally of the grip in one direction, and, when the keeper is inserted into the lock from the outside after a loop is formed in said cable, the keeper extends in the opposite direction in the grip. The keeper has releasable locking engagement with the combination lock according to the rotational manual adjustment of the lock rings of said lock, during said loopforming position of the cable. The cable may be single or double, as desired, the loop formed therein and retained by the lock being adapted to encircle or have strung thereon a fixed, nonport able member, the other ski pole of a pair thereof, a pair of skis, and other related or even unrelated items.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description, which is based on the accompanying drawing. However, said drawing merely shows, and the following description merely describes, preferred embodiments of the present invention, which are given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawing, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view showing the present ski pole and lock structure in operative position with respect to a non-portable fixed member that, by means of a double cable, holds said pole and related items captive.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the grip end of said structure, showing the cable as a single cable and the same retracted within the hollow of the pole in non-operating position.

FIG. 3 is a further enlarged longitudinal sectional View of the lock and showing the condition thereof that forms and holds the cable into an item-encircling loop.

FIGS. 4 and 5 are cross-sectional views as taken on the respective lines 44 and 5--5 of FIG. 3.

FIG. 6, to a reduced scale, shows a modification.

The present ski pole 6 is provided with a grip or handle 7 that, near its upper end, has a wrist strap 8 of generally conventional form. A combination lock 9 is incorporated in said grip or handle 7 in a manner that does not interfere with the hand gripping the handle; in fact, the exterior of the lock conforms with the outer surface of the grip for comfortable gripping. A loop-forming cable 10, in the unlocked condition of the structure, extends through said lock 9 into the hollow of the ski pole 6. A keeper 11 is affixed to an end of said cable 10 and is engaged with the lock both when the cable is within the pole and when it is in the loop-forming, locked position. The keeper extends lengthwise of the grip when the cable is in a retracted position within the pole 6, as shown in FIG. 2. The keeper extends in the opposite direction in the grip when the cable is in a loop-forming position and the keeper is locked in the combination lock, as shown in FIG. 3.

The tube 6 is typical of ski poles, being provided at its lower end with the usual encircling disc above the point of the pole. 1

The grip or handle 7 may be of any suitable form, but in this case is made of two longitudinally split halves that, by means of a bolt or screw 15, are afiixed to the upper end of the ski pole 6. Said grip 7 has a bore 16 in which the tube 6 is received,"a forwardly open recess 17 in which the lock 9 is disposed, a connecting passage 18 between the bore 16 and the recess 17, and a passage 19 extending from the recess 17 through the upper end of the grip 7. The grip includes the wrist strap 8, which is shown as a doubled-over length of leather or other flexible material which is secured by a screw 20 to the lock 9. Said strap preferably extends from the side of the grip that is opposite to the side at which recess 17 opens.

The combination lock 9 is shown as a frame 21 that comprises an upper plate 22, a lower plate23, and a connecting arbor 24 that extends between and spaces said plates, and a set of combination rings 25 arranged in stack form between the plates 22 and 23.

The plate 22 has an extension 26 with which the screw 20 may be self-tapping and to which plate the doubledover ends of the strap 8 are clamped. Said plate 22 has a round portion 27 that fits the recess 17. A semi-circular slot 28 in said plate portion 27 is described about the center of said portion. On said center is a hole 29 and in a direction away from the slot 28, said hole 29 opens into an enlargement 30 in said plate portion 27.

The lower plate 23 has the same round size as the plate portion 27 and is provided with a slot 28, hole 29' and enlargement 30 similar to those in plate portion 27, except that said latter enlargement is of smaller diametrical size than the upper enlargement. Said smaller enlargement is designated 30a.

The connecting member 24 is tubular and its ends 31 fit into slots 28 to located an opening 32 in said tubular member 24 in register with and between the hole enlargements 30 and 30a.

The combination rings 25 are all alike in that each one comprises a ring portion 33 with an inreaching flange 34, the latter having a single arcuate recess or notch 35. Said rings 25 are shown stacked with the flanges 34 at the tops thereof, but the same may be inverted provided there are spaces 36 of the same number as the number of rings 25. Three rings 25 are shown, but two, or more than three, may be used. It will be seen from FIGS. 3 and that the rings are rotational around the arbor 24 which constitutes a bearing for said rings. Also, it will be seen that the outer size of the rings conforms to that of the plate portion 27 and the plate 23.

The rings 25 differ from each other only in the location of notches 35 with respect to figures 37 inscribed or otherwise provided on the outer faces of the ring portions 33. Any number of figures 37 may be used on each ring, but the same are preferably uniformly angularly spaced. It will be clear that when the notches 35 of the bank of combination rings are in register With each other and with the opening 32 in the connecting member 24, the figures 37 that are opposite to said registered notches will be vertically aligned at the front of the lock and in registration with an index or other mark that may be provided on the outer edges of the plate portion 27 and the plate part 23. As will later be clear, this is the unlocked position of the lock 9.

The cable is flexible so the same may be readily trained around items such as skis 38 and fixed members 39 to which the poles 6 and such skis, as well as other items, are secured. Braided cables are advantageous for this purpose. A single cable 10 may be used, as shown in FIGS. 2 to 6, or, if desired, so as to span around the ski bindings 40, two cables connected only at their opposite ends may be used.

Said cable 10, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 5, is provided with a head 41 at one end and the mentioned keeper 11 at the opposite end, said head and keeper comprising the members that connect the opposite ends of the cables, if two of them are used. In practice, the cable 10 may be about two feet in length, although longer or somewhat shorter cables may be used. It will be seen from FIGS. 3, 4 and 5 that the cable 10 extends longitudinally through the lock and resides in the holes 29 of the plates 22 and 23 when the keeper 11 is in locked position. In this position, the cable is formed as a loop in which the head 41 is abutted against the lower face of the plate 23 and the keeper 1-1 is locked by the rings 25, as will be seen later. In the non-locking position of the lock, the keeper 11 is locked by at least one of the rings 25, While the cable extends freely into the hollow of pole tube 6.

The keeper 11 comprises a bar 42 of a size to fit the enlargement 30 and has grooves 43 that are spaced by lands 44. The lands are so spaced longitudinally that the grooves may register with the flanges 34 of the rings 25. With the rings 25 manually set, according to the combination of the lock, so that the notches 35 thereof are in register with each other and in register with the slot or opening 32, the keeper is entered through passage 19 into the enlargement 30 of plate 22 and the registering ring notches 35. The insertion is stopped by the endmost land 44 encountering the plate 23 due to the smaller size of enlargement 30a. In this position, the grooves 43 of the keeper are in register with the notches 35. Now, by turning one or more of the rings 25, the flanges 34 thereof will enter said grooves 43 (see FIGS. 3 and 5), locking the keeper to the lock. The lock combination is disarranged by such turning of the rings 25 and will keep the items 6, 38, 39 and others locked within the loop of the cable 10, as well as items that may be strung over the keeper onto the cable.

Said smaller enlargement 32a prevents the head 41 of the cable from pulling through, thereby securely holding the cable captive in the lock.

FIG. 2 shows the keeper 11 locked by the topmost ring 25 so that the cable 10 will not accidentally slide out of the pole. It is believed clear without further illustration that for certain purposes, a fiat spring may be employed in the grip or lock, to resiliently hold the keeper against escape from the position shown in FIG. 2. It will be noted that said keeper is inverted in its locked position of FIG. 3 relative to its position of FIG. 2. The structure shown appears to be the simplest form. However, if desired, the keeper and the cable, at one end of the latter, may be connected to each other in an arrangement as seen in FIG. 6. This side-by-side arrangement will have the head 41, as before, at one end of the cable. At the opposite end, the cable and the keeper are shown rigidly connected by member 45 that may set into a recess provided in the upper end of the grip 7. The cable, in this modification, will be required to have sufficient limberness so the loop therein may be readily formed. In this form, the keeper has the same position in the lock both when the cable 10 is retracted into the pole tube 6 and when trained as a loop. It will be noted that the keeper 11 and the cable 10 are spaced from each other at 46. The space is necessary so that cable at the keeper end of the loop may extend along the front of the lock with the part 45 back in its position at the end of the grip, and from which it had been removed when the loop was formed.

The term ski pole used in this specification and in the claims is intended to include other elongated articles, as canes, umbrellas, etc.

Only one ski pole of a pair thereof need be provided with the present lock means, since the other pole may be connected as by its wrist loop to the looped cable.

While the foregoing has illustrated and described what is now contemplated to be the best mode of carrying out the invention, the constructions are, of course, subject to modification without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, it is not desired to restrict the invention to the particular forms of construction illustrated and described, but to cover all modifications that may fall within the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed and desired to be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. A hollow ski pole and lock structure comprising:

(a) a grip with a longitudinal passage that connects with the hollow interior of the ski pole, said passage having a side opening extending to the exterior of the grip,

(b) a hollow combination lock fitted into said opening and including a plurality of locking rings in longitudinal stacked relation, and upper and lower plates, one of each end of the stack of rings, with a hollow spacing arbor connecting said plates and constituting a bearing on which the locking rings are manually rotationally adjustable,

(c) a flexible cable extending through the hollow of the lock and provided at one end thereof with a head having movement-limiting engagement with the mentioned lower lock plate, and

(d) a keeper connected to the opposite end of the cable, said keeper being disposed in releasable locking engagement with all of said locking rings when the cable is retracted from the pole with the head thereof adjacent said lower plate and the cable trained as a loop for retaining articles.

2. A ski pole and lock structure according to claim 1, in which the cable comprises two coextensive lengths of cable that are connected only at both ends thereof.

3. A ski pole and lock structure according to claim 1, in which the keeper is disposed in releasable locking engagement with at least one looking ring of the lock when the cable is projected into the hollow of the pole.

4. A ski pole and lock structure according to claim 1 further comprising:

(a) a wrist strap at the upper end of the grip,

(b) an extension on said upper plate of the lock, and

(c) a single screw fastening the wrist strap and the extension, and thereby the lock, to the grip.

5. A ski pole and lock structure according to claim 1,

in which (a) cable-guiding holes are provided in the mentioned upper and lower lock plates, the upper hole having a connecting enlargement for accommodating the keeper,

(b) the arbor having a longitudinal opening extending from the hole enlargement in the upper plate, and

(c) said hole enlargement and longitudinal opening constituting a longitudinal guide for the keeper.

6. A ski pole and lock structure according to claim 4, in which the cable-guiding hole in the lower plate has an aligned enlargement that is smaller than the arbor opening and constitutes a stop for the end of the keeper inserted into the lock with the cable in loop form.

7. In a ski pole,

(a) a combination lock located adjacent to the upper end of the pole and including a plurality of locking rings in longitudinal stacked relation, and upper and lower plates, one on each end of the stack of rings, wtih a hollow spacing arbor connecting said plates and constituting a bearing on which the locking rings are manually rotationally adjustable,

(b) a flexible cable extending through the hollow of the lock and provided at one end thereof with a head having movement-limiting engagement with the mentioned lower lock plate, and

(c) a keeper connected to the opposite end of the cable,

(d) said keeper being disposed in releasable locking engagement with at least one looking ring of the lock when the cable is projected downwardly below the lower plate of the lock, and disposed in releasable locking engagement with all of said locking rings when the cable is drawn to a position having the head thereof adjacent the lower lock plate with the protion of the cable retracted from the lock formed in an article-retaining loop.

8. In a hollow ski pole,

(a) a hollow grip adjacent the upper end thereof,

(b) a hollow, releasable, combination lock on the grip,

(c) a flexible cable extending loosely through the hollow grip and the hollow lock, and lengthwise in the hollow ski pole,

(d) an enlarged member on the inner end of the cable and normally longitudinally spaced from said lock, and a stop member in the hollow of the pole to prevent escape of the cable from the ski grip when the cable is drawn in an outward direction to engage said members, and

(e) a keeper on the opposite end of the cable and disposed to be lockingly engaged by the combination lock after the cable, as mentioned, is drawn lengthwise of the ski pole, of the grip and of the lock, and is doubled back to form a member locking loop.

9. In a grip and lock combination for a locking ski pole,

(a) a hollow grip,

7 BOBBY R. GAY, Primary Examiner.

(b) a hollow, releasable, combination lock on the (c) a flexible cable extending loosely through the hollow grip and through the hollow lock,

(d) an enlarged member on the inner end of the cable and normally longitudinally spaced from said lock, and a stop member in the hollow of the pole to prevent escape of the cable from the ski grip when the cable is drawn in an outward direction to engage said members, and

(e) a keeper on the opposite end of the cable and disposed to be lockingly engaged by the combination lock after the cable, as mentioned, is drawn through the grip and through the lock, and is doubled back to form a member locking loop.

10. In a grip and lock combination for locking a ski pole,

(a) a hollow grip,

(b) a combination lock on the grip, the lock having a hollow body provided with an opening having two diflerent widths,

(c) a flexible cable extending loosely through the opening in the lock,

(d) an enlarged member on the inner end of the cable and normally longitudinally spaced from the lock, and a stop member in the hollow of the pole to prevent escape of the cable from the grip when the cable is drawn in an outward direction to engage said members, and

(e) a keeper 0n the opposite end of the cable and disposed to be lockingly engaged by the combination lock when the keeper is in the larger portion of the opening in the lock and the cable is in the smaller portion of the opening after the cable, as mentioned, has been drawn through the opening and is doubled back to form a member locking loop.

11. In combination with a hollow ski pole,

(a) a hollow grip adjacent an end of the ski pole,

(b) a combination lock on the grip, the lock having a hollow body,

(c) a flexible cable extending loosely in the hollow grip, in the hollow lock and in the ski pole when in a retracted position,

(d) an enlarged member on the inner end of the cable and normally longitudinally spaced from said lock, and a stop member in the hollow of the pole to prevent escape of the cable from the grip when the cable is drawn in an outward direction to engage said members, from the lock, and from the ski pole and (e) a keeper on the outer, free end of the cable, the keeper having reversible positions in the lock, one position being when the cable is withdrawn into the hollow of ski pole and the keeper is disposed to be locked by the combination lock and in a reverse position after the cable has been withdrawn with respect to the ski pole and a loop formed by the cable.

12. In the combination called for by claim 11, the

combination lock being provided with means to lock the keeper in each of its reverse positions.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,267,894 5/1918 Olson 70-30 1,539,301 5/1925 Cooper 7049 3,228,217 l/1966 Atwill 70-58 3,250,545 ,5/1966 Cameron et -al. 280-1137 3,297,333 1/1967 Schwedt et a1. 7058 X FOREIGN PATENTS 243,551 1/ 1947 Switzerland. 

1. A HOLLOW SKI POLE AND LOCK STRUCTURE COMPRISING: (A) A GRIP WITH A LONGITUDINAL PASSSAGE THAT CONNECTS WITH THE HOLLOW INTERIOR OF THE SKI POLE, SAID PASSAGE HAVING A SIDE OPENING EXTENDING TO THE INTERIOR OF THE GRIP, (B) A HOLLOW COMBINATION LOCK FITTED INTO SAID OPENING AND INCLUDING A PLURALITY OF LOCKING RINGS IN LONGITUNDINAL STACKED RELATION, AND UPPER AND LOWER PLATES, ONE OF EACH END OF THE STACK OF RINGS, WITH A HOLLOW SPACING ARBOR CONNECTING SAID PLATES AND CONSTITUTING A BEARING ON WHICH THE LOCKING RINGS ARE MANUALLY ROTATIONALLY ADJUSTABLE, 